Discipleship

I spoke with a delightful young man yesterday - one who loves Jesus with all his heart and lives his life as a true disciple.  What a blessing and what a witness!  The love of Jesus is like a magnet; the light that shines through the believer draws people in.  That's what I saw in this young man. I knew before I spoke to him that he lived a life completely sold out to Jesus.  I could see it in his face when he worshiped.  That's what true discipleship looks like:  an inner light that shines out like a beacon.  In Matthew, Jesus says:  "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."


Christian discipleship is more than showing up at church on Sundays, praying, singing, enjoying the fellowship of the other members of your church.  It means sacrifice:  sacrifice of time, resources, energy, your plans.  It means that your life will get interrupted, your idea of how your future will unfold will probably be completely different from the reality of Jesus' plans.  The much-quoted verse, "Well done, good and faithful servant", is found in the parable of the talents and the servants' industriousness and faithfulness in using the resources they were given to bring a greater return to their master.  My Bible notes explain that the amount of the talents given to the servants would equate to billions of dollars in our currency.  Imagine receiving that huge sum of money.  Would we be inclined to run through it, spending it on vacations, fun, maybe paying off debts?  Or would we save it for our future?  How many would use it to bring joy to the one who had gifted us?  


God has "blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:3).  EVERY spiritual blessing!  How are we responding to that incredible gift?  How are we living our lives out of that blessing?  I so want to hear my Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant".  But the way I serve Jesus has to come from my grateful heart, from the love of Jesus overflowing to the people he sends my way; not from a "what's in it for me?" mentality.  That's what I saw in that young man yesterday - a heart sold out to Jesus, a life lived for his Lord, and a passion to share his love of Jesus with a lost soul who didn't yet know that love.  


And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?  (Luke 9:23-26)


"If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me."  (John 12:26 The Message)